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 Families wait to depart for their summer vacations. (Jiji) |
ONLINE SURVEY:
How Businesspeople Spent Their Summer Vacations
October 19, 2001
Their summer vacations were one week or less, and while most of them went somewhere away from home, traveling or visiting their hometowns, some stayed at home and relaxed with their families. This is the picture that emerged when Trends in Japan conducted an online survey to find out how Japan's business people spent their summer vacations.
Travel Near and Far
Trends in Japan surveyed 100 business people (65 men and 35 women) over a three-day period beginning August 24. The respondents were in their twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties, with 25 people in each age group. Respondents were first asked how they took their summer vacation, and 64% said they took it "all at once." Getting time off from work can be difficult, however, and 14% indicated that they took their vacation "in two or three pieces" because of this. As for how long their vacation was, "between four days and one week" was the number-one answer, chosen by 44% of respondents. "Between one and two weeks" was next, selected by 20%. "Three days or fewer" was the answer given by 19%, and just 2% said they took "between two and three weeks."
Pollees were asked about their ideal vacation, and for most of them it involved travel: "Traveling abroad" was chosen by 47% of respondents, while "traveling in Japan" was selected by 31%. "Staying at home" was the answer given by 13%, and "returning to my hometown" and "spending time with my family" were each named by 11% [See graph 1].
When asked how they actually spent their vacation, over half (52%) replied that they traveled somewhere, with 24% traveling within Japan, 17% visiting their hometowns, and 11% going abroad [See graph 2]. As for the 36% who spent their vacations at home, popular activities included napping, playing video games, or watching TV and videos. Others surfed the Internet. All of these are activities that require only a little money. Places near Japan like Guam, Hawaii, Taiwan, and Vietnam were the most popular destinations of those who traveled abroad, while others ventured further afield to Europe.
Those questioned were also asked who they spent their summer vacation with. "My family" was easily the top answer, chosen by 71%. "My boyfriend/girlfriend" came in second with 12%. "Friends from my school days" was the answer given by 10%, and "friends from work" was chosen by 5%.
Pollees were asked how much money they used on their summer vacation. While 25% used 10,000 yen (83.33 dollars), another 24% spent 30,000 yen (250 dollars), 20% spent 50,000 yen (416.65 dollars), and 12% used 100,000 yen (833.33 dollars). Just 2% spent 300,000 yen (2,500 dollars), and only 1% used 500,000 yen (4,166.50 dollars). They were not asked how they spent this money, but it is likely that people who stayed home spent the least, while people who traveled abroad spent the most.
As for what they normally do in their free time, "relaxing at home" was the top answer with 20%. "Playing sports" was chosen by 15%, and "watching TV" and "driving" were each selected by 10% of respondents. It seems as though people had a tendency to do the same sorts of activities during their summer vacations.
Ideals and Reality
Looking at the survey results broken down by age and gender, some differences can be seen. As for men and women in their twenties, only one person each said that they took a long vacation of between two and three weeks. Meanwhile, 20% of respondents in their fifties indicated that they were unable to take a vacation at all. When asked about the reasons for this, many cited that they were busy at work. It could also be that the custom of taking long vacations is not widespread among older Japanese.
"Traveling abroad" and "traveling in Japan" were each chosen by 32% of respondents in their twenties when asked how they spent their vacations. Their destinations included France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, the United States, and various places in Europe. Only 20% of those in their twenties stayed home. Also, when asked about the ideal way of spending a vacation, 64% of those in their twenties chose "traveling abroad." Of the respondents in their forties, meanwhile, 44% answered "traveling in Japan."
As for who they spent their vacations with, 96% of those in their fifties answered "with my family," while 40% of those in their twenties responded "with my boyfriend/girlfriend," the number one answer for this age group.
Spending on vacations varies according to whether each individual is single or married, has children or not, and other factors, but some general trends were apparent. Those in their thirties, forties, and fifties were generally economical when it came to their per-person budget: 10,000 yen, 30,000 yen, and 50,000 yen were each chosen by at least 20% of respondents in these age groups. The top answer for men was 30,000 yen, which was chosen by 31%. The number-one answer given by women, though, was 50,000 yen, selected by 26%. Respondents in their twenties displayed the most affluent lifestyle, with 32% stating that they spent 200,000 yen (1,666.70 dollars) on their summer vacation.
Changing Attitudes
This online survey was conducted in an atmosphere of shrinking household budgets and concern over future employment. And whereas in the past many company workers engaged in leisure activities with their colleagues--often organized by companies themselves--nowadays they are choosing to spend their time with their families.
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"Traveling in Japan" was selected by 24% of Yomiuri pollees, down five points from a previous survey in 1993. "Returning to my hometown" was chosen by 8% of respondents, down three points from 1993. "Shopping and eating out," "enjoying a hobby," and "going for a day trip or a drive," however, were up 15, 10, and 7 points respectively.
The Yomiuri survey also revealed that more than twice as many people--67%--were "satisfied" with the way they spent their leisure time than were "dissatisfied" (32%). This is the highest level of satisfaction among respondents in the four times the survey has been conducted since 1988.
The way Japanese people spend their leisure time appears to be at a turning point. Compared to the bubble years around 1990, people are now more determined to spend their limited vacation time in a meaningful way. As a result, they are choosing leisure to suit their own needs and lifestyles, devoting quality time to themselves or their families. They are increasingly keen on relaxing with their families and taking trips to places near and far. Such is the picture of Japanese vacations in the twenty-first century.
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Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government. |
